1. Technical Field
This disclosure generally relates to shipping of information handling systems (IHSes), and more particular to shock pallets for shipping IHSes.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continue to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems (IHSs). An IHS generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes, thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, IHSs may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in IHSs allow for IHSs to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, IHSs may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
An Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) of rack-mounted IHSes can ship hundreds of fully integrated racks a year. Each rack can contain up to $1M of Information Technology (IT) hardware. Each rack can range in weight from as little as 700 lbs. to over 3800 lbs. These fully integrated racks are required to survive the transportation environment worldwide by truck, plane, boat, and/or other transportation medium. A rack shock pallet is the primary protection for the IT hardware in the rack. To minimize complexity in the factory, currently a single shock pallet is designed for integrated racks. Multiple shock pallets drastically increases manufacturing and staging complexity. The single shock pallet is designed for a rack weight of 2800 lbs. using dense foam and wood. The engineering working range of foam is 1000 lbs. Therefore, the working range of the current shock pallet is from 2300 lbs. to 3300 lbs. For loads less than 2300 lbs., the shock pallet is too rigid to provide adequate dampening, imparting too much of impact motions on the IT equipment and rack frame. For loads more than 3300 lbs., the dense foam collapses due to the excessive weight, which also prevents the foam from providing adequate dampening.
Many failures have occurred that could have been prevented if the packaging had been optimized for the weight and weight distribution of the fully integrated rack. The types of failure experienced range from rack frames bending after impact events to casters seizing due to excessive vibration. These failures result in customer issues ranging from delayed delivery with a corresponding reduction in customer satisfaction to total scrapping of hardware with a total loss in the millions of dollars.